Computer education loses some class

Joelly Serafin, a 31-year-old Web designer, recalls a time in the late 1990s when she was lured by dot-com dreams. She enrolled in classes to learn about HTML coding and Java script.

"I was hugely attracted to the money possibilities and had heard so many stories of booming tech companies and their lax work policies," said the Chicago resident. "I wanted to be a part of it."

Now that the Internet bubble has burst, and rattled by an unsteady work environment, Serafin is going back to school to become a veterinarian.

"Now I just want to do something meaningful with my life," she said. It "sounds cheesy, but I really feel that way."

Gone are the days when students excited by high-flying start-ups packed into classrooms to learn the language of computers. Across the nation, top schools are reporting a decline in enrollment in computer science courses. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, about 20 percent fewer freshmen this spring declared electrical engineering and computer science as their intended major than in 2001 or 2002.

At the Illinois Institute of Technology, undergraduate enrollment in computer science, as measured by the number of credit hours taught, fell 30 percent between spring 2001 and spring 2003.

At Northwestern University, the number of freshmen who plan to become computer science majors dropped 28.5 percent this year compared with last year.

Students are spooked because opportunities such as signing bonuses, stock options, six-digit salaries and perks such as casual dress and bringing pets to work have faded, says Mike Jurs, a spokesman for Waltham, Mass.-based BrassRing, a provider of recruiting services.

The outlook for IT workers remains bleak. A May 2003 telephone survey of 400 hiring managers by the Information Technology Association of America found that the predicted demand for IT workers has reached a new low of 493,000 positions over the next 12 months, down from 1.6 million at the start of 2000.

"It used to be the case that six years ago you would get a job if you could spell 'Internet,' even with a couple of typos," said Leo Irakliotis, associate chairman of the computer science department at the University of Chicago. "Those days are gone--and it's a good thing, actually."

The job market "has raised the qualification bar for employees," he said. "Those who are well-trained and prepared will find a job."